Windows 8 How To: 14. Show and Use PowerShell

Windows PowerShell is a task-based command-line shell and scripting language designed especially for system administration. Built on the .NET Framework, Windows PowerShell helps IT professionals and power users control and automate the administration of the Windows operating system and applications that run on Windows. You can show and use PowerShell in a few different ways.

From the Metro UI

If you have enabled the administrative tools, you can select of the three options to run PowerShell: PowerShell ISE, PowerShell (x86) or PowerShell ISE (x86). The first one is a 64-bit version, and the other two are 321-bit version.

The PowerShell ISE provides a Windows interface where all available PowerShell commands are listed and searchable. For example, you can list current running processes on your device by issuing a “get-process” command.

From the Charms Bar

Move your mouse to the upper right corner until the Charms Bar pops out. Select Apps from the list and type “PowerShell” in the search box. Click on one of the three PowerShell options from the search results.

You can select PowerShell (x86) and list all running process by typing “get-process”.